PA Special Election: The Latest Republican Wake-up Call

It is time for Republicans nationwide to wake up to the very real threat of a Speaker Pelosi House this fall.

This wake-up call is also for President Trump and Vice President Pence.

Neither they, nor any other Republican, should underestimate how disastrous it will be for their policies and for the country to have a left-wing Democratic majority in the House.

Under Speaker Pelosi, there would be two years of investigations, fights over spending (to reduce defense and increase liberal dependency programs), efforts to undo Trump’s deregulation achievements, and attempts to make new bureaucracies.

The results in the special election for Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District are simply the latest in a series of special elections in which the Republicans have run well behind the 2016 presidential election results.

If the decline this fall is comparable to the drop in Pennsylvania, there will be a Democratic landslide.

However, none of this is inevitable.

There is plenty of time to analyze what is going on, develop a strategy, and wage the fall campaign on terms favorable to Republicans.

However, the first steps are the hardest and the least understood.

First, Republicans must evaluate what went wrong in Pennsylvania. This was an easily winnable district. Our candidate is not that much weaker than the Democrat (remember, the first refuge of political consultants is to blame candidates). The biggest surprise to me was that the tax cut message was not more effective. This was doubly surprising, because the Democrat was clearly for repealing the tax cuts, and it did not seem to cost him votes. Obviously, the first big question to ask is what would have won it decisively?

Second, Republicans must understand that if a wave is building, money loses its power to solve problems. The Republicans outspent the Democrats in Pennsylvania by a huge margin. It made the race close, but it did not win it outright. If we allow a Democratic wave to build this fall, it will defeat marginal Republicans no matter how much they spend. I first saw how truly formidable a political wave can be in the 1964 election, and then again in 1974, 1980, 1994, 2006, and 2010.

Third, the only way to defeat a wave is by building a countervailing wave. Since the elite media is overwhelmingly anti-Republican and pro-Democrat, this is dramatically harder for Republicans to do. The Republican wave must be real. People must be able to sense that it is about something important which affects their lives. Republicans could combine the power of the presidency with the scheduling party of the majority to set up a series of fights for the summer which would define the fall election. There is no evidence yet of the GOP having this kind of strategic capability, but without it, there is very likely going to be a Democratic wave that captures the House and minimizes gains in the Senate.

Fourth, the GOP must expand its base. The tax cuts give Republicans an enormous opportunity to reach out to minority small business owners and others to build a much broader party. Base mobilization in the end will not win if the base becomes too narrow.

Fifth, President Trump must take some serious responsibility for the recent election results. If he continues to alienate people (especially women), no amount of policy effort will offset the decline in Republican enthusiasm and voting.

Right now, there is time to think through recent elections and design a summer and fall effort that keeps the Republican majority in the House.

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Rod is one of our nation’s leading minds. He’s smart, original, and very committed—a combination that one rarely finds.Peter ThielPayPal, Founders Fund, Facebook, Palantir

Rod Martin and [former Howard Dean campaign manager] Joe Trippi are America’s two foremost experts on online politics.Annual Bipartisan Conference of George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management

Rod Martin is a Reaganite-Thatcherite conservative…[and] a man who has spent much of his life ministering to and working for the benefit of others. I know Rod as an advocate for freedom, a leader who understands the real changes we need in Washington, and who has the drive and ability to make those changes happen.Steve ForbesPresident and CEO, Forbes; Former Presidential Candidate

Rod Martin is the kind of dynamic leader who has the knowledge, ability and experience to lead us successfully into the 21st Century. His vision for America is compelling.Gov. Mike HuckabeeFormer Arkansas Governor and Presidential Candidate

Rod Martin literally wrote the book on excellence. Humble yet brilliant, a man of love and compassion, with penetrating clarity he illuminates the world around us, and we are both stirred and enlightened.Dr. Gil AmelioExecutive Committee, AT&T; Former CEO, Apple Computer and National Semiconductor

Rod Martin has a proven track record of overwhelming success. I believe in him strongly.Dr. Ronnie FloydPresident, The Southern Baptist Convention

Rod Martin is a born leader and an outstanding political mind. Anyone who takes him on is going to have a serious fight on their hands.Dick DresnerCelebrated International Political Consultant, Credited With Boris Yeltsin’s 1996 50-Point Turnaround Re-Election

Rod Martin is a man of uncommon vision and character. Ever since I first worked alongside Rod in the early days of PayPal, I’ve been struck by his powerful vision for the future. Rod understands the intersection of technology, politics and culture in a way that few others do.Eric JacksonFormer Chief Marketing Officer, PayPal.com; Author, The PayPal Wars; Founder and CEO, CapLinked.com

Rod Martin wears with uncommon grace an uncanny ability to link his vigorous faith to the practical challenges of both the business world and the political arena. Yet the respect he shows for others carries a warmth and modesty that are both too rare among those who are strong advocates of feisty positions.Joel BelzFounder, World Magazine; Former Chairman of the Board, Covenant College

America badly needs more leaders who really get the future. We need more Rod Martins.Randy TateFormer Deputy Whip, U.S. House of Representatives

Rod Martin is a modern day philosopher-statesman. He is a capitalist intellectual, a conservative iconoclast, a gentle adversary and a kind prophet. He inspires us towards a fresh national vision built upon the original founding principles.José GonzálezPresident, Semila

Rod Martin is not only effective and efficient, but he is also perceptive, wise and gracious. He gets things done. He is a great friend and a great ally.Dr. Ted BaehrPublisher, MOVIEGUIDE®; Chairman, Christian Film and Television Commission

Rod is one of the sharpest, most gracious men I know, and one of the most gifted political thinkers today. His ability to analyze issues and communicate thoughtful insights on them have earned him the respect of people across the political spectrum.Dr. Tom AscolExecutive Director, Founders Ministries, Southern Baptist Convention

I am proud to have been Rod Martin’s friend for a quarter century, and I can tell you that he is one of the finest men and most outstanding leaders in our church and in our country today. He has a knack for turning everything he touches to success.Hon. Paul PresslerRetired Justice, Texas Court of Appeals; Past President, Council for National Policy

Rod Martin is a cornucopian entrepreneur and eutropic thinker whose influence radiates through an array of companies, institutions, movements and churches. A renaissance American, he is also a prolific friend of freedom and faith around the globe.George GilderFounding Father of Supply-Side Economics, Globally-Recognized Technology Guru

If Rod Martin represents the next generation of leaders, America has nothing to worry about.Hon. John Paul HammerschmidtU.S. House Republican Leadership, 1967-1993

A leader and a servant, in public life and in private, Rod Martin strides at the top of his profession, and has nowhere to go but up. He is in the truest sense of the word ‘outstanding’.Hugh O'BrianLegendary Actor; Founder, Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY)

Rod Martin is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished thought leaders today. He is a wonderful mentor, a humble role model, and a deep inspiration for the next generation of scientific innovators and entrepreneurs.Dr. Harald OttOtt Laboratory for Organ Engineering and Regeneration, Harvard Medical School

Rod’s achievements pale beside his character and his brilliance. He sees what others can’t. He leads when others won’t.Jane Russell"40 Most Iconic Movie Goddesses of All Time", Glamour

Rod Martin is one of America’s finest young minds.Dr. Edward TellerFather of the H-Bomb